Israeli experts boycotted the opening session of a United Nations Educational Conference yesterday in protest over UNESCO’s recent anti-Israel resolutions. It was the first opportunity for Israel to show its disapproval of the UNESCO actions barring it from the agency’s regional grouping. condemning the archaeological diggings in Jerusalem and voting aid to the PLO. “I don’t think we’re going to do anything much more with UNESCO.” one Israeli delegate said. He added that most of the agency’s work was done in the regional conferences “and there we’re no longer wanted.”
Also this week, scientists scheduled to take part in a UNESCO chemistry symposium failed to show up. Three of them issued public statements condemning UNESCO’s decisions against Israel. Some UNESCO officials here have privately expressed concern at the increasing politicization of the international organization.
In a related action, the upper house of the Swiss Parliament voted 29-3 yesterday to decrease Switzerland’s contribution to UNESCO by 10 percent. The Council of States (Standerat) accepted the proposal after a number of speakers rose to denounce UNESCO for its anti-Israel decisions, The proposal was sponsored by the Social Democrats.
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